A Little History of My Forest Life

The autobiography of a Chippewa-Scots woman from Madeline Island in Lake Superior. The child and grandchild of fur traders, Eliza Morrison describes Metis culture, and her travels by boat, dog sled, and on foot. She gives a 19th-century woman’s view of the Wisconsin Death March, the Dream Dance, Native marriage and burial customs, making maple sugar, and the Chippewa-Dakota War.

A Unique and Historic Narrative

Written in 1894 and recently recovered from the archives of the University of Minnesota, this autobiography tells the story of a Chippewa-Scots-French woman from Madeline Island in Lake Superior. The child and grandchild of fur traders, Eliza Morrison describes her family’s starving time on their homestead, and her travels by boat, dog sled, and on foot. Métis culture comes alive as Native American lore blends with homesteading stories, giving a 19th century-woman’s view of the Wisconsin Death march, the Dream Dance, Indian marriage and burial customs, making maple sugar, and the Chippewa-Dakota War. She relates two never-before-recorded Indian stories, complete with songs.